Invisible
by Rodney'sAngel
Summary: There's more to Scott Tucker than meets the eye. Suddenly, he's not so invisible. Please review! Some John/Scott brother fluff.


**A/N: This story focuses a little more on what it's like to be the "other" Tucker. Please review! (small update).**

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"Are you going to play tonight?" John Tucker asked his younger brother. "Unless you don't want me to," Scott replied. "You always have before." "Yeah, I guess so." "What is it, Scottie?" John glanced sideways from the mirror he was using to gel his hair. Scott was usually quiet, but this was different. Before their father had made partner at his law firm, they had lived in a small apartment where John and Scott had shared a bedroom. They were pretty used to each other. "Nothing, John." "Come on, bro, just tell me. You know you will eventually." "You're right, I will eventually. If I tell you now, we'll fight. I want you to enjoy your party." "We'll fight? Since when do we fight?" John and Scott usually didn't mess with each other enough to fight. They just kind of left each other be. "Trust me, we will." "Scottie, get real. Tell me what's bugging you and we'll dodge each other like we always do." "You really want to know, John?" "Yeah, man. Spill," John barked. "I have feelings for Kate. Your little blonde cheerleader girlfriend who wears your watch? Yeah, I like her, too. She's smart and sweet. I can't believe she's dating you. And once again, I'm invisible." John grabbed Scott by the t-shirt front and forced his brother to look at him. "Hey, I know that I cast a long shadow. And I have no idea what it's like to be ignored. I do notice it happens to you. But at the end of the day, I didn't figure it mattered because regardless of what everyone else is doing or saying, you're my brother and I love you. I don't know what's going to happen with Kate. She's different than all the other ones. That's just how it is. You do whatever you have to, man. When it's all said and done, bros before hoes. Even the girls who are more than that," John said.

Scott didn't know what to do for a minute. This was _John_. Yeah, Scott loved him, but in the way you love a puppy that's too stupid to jump over the puddle so it stands there and barks at you until you pick it up and carry it over. He was a jughead, a dumb jock. He got by on his looks and his charm. John didn't know how to be deep and any thoughtfulness he showed was ninety percent on accident. That John genuinely cared about him or even that he occurred to his big brother at all outside what their mother nagged about… "You do have a heart." "Yeah, and for some reason, it shows up on my sleeve around you. What the hell is up with that?" "I don't know, bro, but thanks. I should have known that you always have my back." "I'm just returning the favor, Scott. You're right, you do invisible well. Still, I'm aware of you. You see it all, know most of it. As much as you disagree with me and hate some of the things I do, you protect me." "Yeah, I do. All of the time. And I don't understand why." "We're brothers," John shrugged. He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. Scott supposed it was. "Yeah," he snorted. It made John laugh. "Come on, let's go to the party. Are you coming with us to the lake this weekend?" "Yeah, why not? It beats moping around here." "I'm glad you think so," John snorted. They finished getting ready and headed for the party.

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It went famously bad. The high point was Scott and his band performing. The low point was finding out what Kate, Beth, Carrie, and Heather were doing. About ten minutes after that, John cornered Kate. "You want to explain this to me?" "Carrie, Beth, and Heather figured out that you were dating all three of them without telling any of them. They asked me to help get back at you and I agreed. Neither of us was supposed to develop feelings. It's like a bad teen movie. I'm sorry." John sighed. "I'm a big boy, Kate. I'll bounce back. I do know someone who really likes you, has from the start." "Who?" Kate asked. "Scott," John answered. "You want me to start seeing your brother?" "If you like him. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you prefer geeks to jocks when you're not scheming to get back at someone." "No, you're right. I'm usually books over pom-poms." "Well, there you go. Talk to Scott. And you and I will pretend it never happened. Since it wasn't supposed to be real, we'll say it never was."

Kate found Scott loading up the band's van. "Hey," she said softly. "Hey," he answered. "Tonight: not my best moment." "No, I'd imagine not. Still, you were just trying to give John a spoonful of his own medicine. So what if you hurt him? He hurt the other three first." "I sense a little sarcasm." "There was a little there. I know better than anyone how big a jackass John can be. The way he treats girls isn't the way I'd do it, but I try not to judge him. He's my brother, Kate, and I love him." "I get the impression he loves you back. He pushed me to talk to you. Said you like me," she offered. "I found you funny, smart, and sweet. I suppose two out of three isn't bad." "Yeah, I know I lost the sweet one." "So now what?" "What do you mean?" "I'm assuming you and John are over." "We're pretending we never happened. And maybe something will happen with you," Kate said. "I have to talk to John. I don't know if I can be with the girl who did that to my brother, but definitely not if he has a problem with it." As if his ears were burning, John approached. "I'm going to take off for the lake with some of the guys. You still coming up?" "Yeah, I've got to get the equipment back to Jake's, but I'll be up after that." "You want me to leave you the Jeep?" "Naw, the Toyota is at Jake's." "Bring the acoustic," John said. "I will," Scott promised. John looked at Kate. "Do me a favor, Kate?" "Name it, John." "Don't hurt him. I'd have sworn up and down that you couldn't hurt me and you did. I deserved it. He doesn't." "I promise," Kate said. "Hey, Scottie, here." John pulled a bottle of Pepsi from his back pocket. "There are five more in my trunk. Nothing but beer up there," John said. "Thanks, Johnny." Scott and John shook hands and pulled in for a man-hug.

Kate's eyes began to sting. "Now I feel like a total bitch." "You've seen him be sweet before." "Yeah, when he wanted sex, not just because." Scott grinned. "I'm addicted to Pepsi like some people are addicted to crack. It doesn't matter what time of day it is or what number I'm on. Somewhere along the way, John developed this habit of always having Pepsi on him. Seems like he always has one to hand me. Sometimes it's a bottle, sometimes it's a can, and when it's a red plastic cup, there's vodka mixed in it." Kate smiled. "That sounds more like John." "The very first party I went to in high school was typical: three kegs and four coolers of beer. I had an entire six-pack that night. About ten minutes after the sixth one, I was doubled over in the parking lot. And there was John. He had a bottle of water and a roll of paper towels. When I finished, he hooked an arm around me and said beer sucks. We laughed and after that, John always had Pepsi at parties. He usually had one for me, anyway, but especially as an alternative to alcohol. It also guarantees him a designated driver." "Now that you say that, I remember him buying Pepsi, but I never saw him drinking it. And the only time I remember him looking for you at school was to hand you one." "He prefers Dr. Pepper, but he will drink Pepsi every once in a while if he thinks I won't be around." "Why only when you're gone?" "Because I take it from him," Scott shrugged. "I don't have siblings. How exactly does that work?" Scott chuckled. "It's easy. He takes a swallow and then stands there holding it. I come up and take it from him. Sometimes he remembers to take it back, other times he just lets it go. You want to come to Jake's with me?"

They pulled up to Jake's house and Kate helped Scott unload the instruments. When they finished, Scott offered to drive Kate to the lake. She got in the Toyota while he put his acoustic guitar in the backseat. It wasn't hard to find everyone at the lakeshore. The bonfire was going and the beers were being passed around. Kate accepted one from Beth and went to join the girls for a little. Scott leaned his guitar against a nearby tree and joined John on a log near the fire. There was music playing from the cars and most of the kids were swimming. Some were making out in the sand and others were just walking along the shore, enjoying the night. "I don't think I ever would have told Kate how I felt about her." "That's why I did it." "You really don't care if I go out with her?" "As far as I'm concerned, she and I never happened." "Okay if that's how you want to play it, but make sure you at least admit it to yourself." "Yeah, I'll sort it out. Tomorrow, along with a hangover." "Sounds like the John I know." "You and everyone else."

Two hours later, most the kids had settled near the fire to talk and eat s'mores. One of the other guys handed Scott his guitar. "What, you want campfire songs?" "Something like that," John suggested. Scott started with a Pearl Jam number that would make everyone nostalgic for the nineties. Then he moved on to Lifehouse, the Plain White T's, and a Nickelback number. One of the girls sweet-talked him into playing Taylor Swift so that all the females could sing. "I'm going to have to disown you for knowing Taylor Swift songs on the guitar," John said. "I play by ear, John. If I've heard it, I'll try to play it." "Yeah, but you're not supposed to be good at it." "Musical talent: oddly unselective." "Yeah, you either have it or you don't," Heather snorted. "Scott does, I don't," John shrugged. "And that's the only time you'll be saying that," one of John's teammates called. "You got a problem, Bennett?" "I'm just ragging on him. Don't get your panties in a bunch, John." That one got genuine laughter. Scott put one of his elbows in John's ribcage. "Take it easy, killer." "I'm not that drunk," John sighed. "No, but you will be." Scott played for another hour or so. Then everyone settled down to try and get some sleep. The sun would be up soon and there wasn't much sleeping after that. Some of the girls used their boyfriends as pillows and some of them just curled up near each other. The guys mostly slept sprawled out wherever. John usually slept beside his latest conquest, but he decided he'd give it a rest, at least for tonight. Consequently, he put his head down on Scott's hip. "Roll over, Scottie, you're too boney." Scott flipped onto his back so that John could use his stomach instead. Kate was lying close enough to overhear and she had to suppress a giggle. Scott was pretty tolerant of John.

The next morning, everyone went for an early dip in the lake. It was a good way to wake up and an attempt to shock the hair of the dog out of most of them. John had only had four beers the night before and didn't have a hangover. He was hungry, though. They all packed up their cars and headed to the diner a few miles down the road. Truckers and teenagers were what kept it in business. That and they had really good pancakes. John got the banana ones and Scott got chocolate chip. Kate noticed them trade the two top ones on their stacks. "You wondered how that worked. Now you know," Scott said to her. "Now I know," she agreed. When breakfast was over everyone headed for home. John and a few of his buddies got in the Jeep and Scott took Kate home in the Toyota. As he was pulling away from Kate's house, his cell phone rang. It was John. "What's up, bro?" "I need you to come get me. We got in a bit of a fender-bender and they have to tow the Jeep. I'm at Baywood about an hour out." "Are you okay?" "I broke a couple of fingers on the dashboard, but I'm fine. I just want to get out of here." "All right. It will take me a little bit to get there. Just hold tight. Did they breath-test you?" "No, I was rear-ended." "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." It took Scott about forty-five minutes to get to Baywood. "Did you call Mom and Dad?" "No, I'll tell them later. I had the insurance cards on me so it wasn't necessary." John's ring and middle fingers on his right hand were taped to a little board. Scott didn't ask any more questions.

When the boys finally made it home, their parents weren't there. "Are you sure you're all right?" Scott checked. "I'm fine, Scottie." John sighed through his nose. He was a little startled when Scott hugged him. "Hey, little brother." John squeezed his younger sibling. "What's wrong with you? I'm okay." "Basketball," Scott said. "I'll work it out." "Somehow you always do," Scott agreed. "I suppose so. Still, Coach will be pissed." "Isn't he always pissed?" asked Scott. John laughed. "Yeah, to a certain degree. That's just Coach, but I'm talking really pissed." "Like you in the cheer coach's bed pissed?" "He was actually more baffled on that one. Particularly because of the tiny red thong." "And somehow out of the two of us I got labeled "other." I guess it's because you do such crazy things that you're the one they think of first." "Or maybe you really are the freak." "I guess it's possible. I'll be the freak who gets one girl and you'll be the jock who gets all of the girls." "Yeah, but you play your cards right and maybe that one girl will let you do more than kiss her." "I'd rather be with her a while. It will mean more." "That's between you and her. Come Monday morning, I'll have my own problems." "Did you learn anything?" Scott asked. "How so?" "Those girls set out to hurt you as a way of getting even. They were wrong to jerk you around, but it gives you a chance to step back and look at what you're doing. Either tell the five girls you're dating that you don't do exclusive or pick one and have a relationship." "Maybe I'll actually wait until basketball is over." "Can you go that long without sex?" "I really don't know," John smirked. Scott rolled his eyes and laughed.

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Monday afternoon found Scott in the chemistry lab. Kate walked in to use one of the microscopes for some make-up work. "Hey," she offered. "Hey," he replied. "How's John?" she asked. "He's John," Scott shrugged. "What happened to his hand?" "He broke a couple fingers on his way home from the lake. Jeep got rear-ended." "I'm glad he's okay." "Did the two of you talk?" Scott asked. "Yeah, we're just pretending it never happened." Scott nodded. "Sounds about right," he said. "Do you think that you and I can be friends?" "I don't know how I feel about you, Kate. Honestly, I both like you and dislike you at the same time. Since the first time I met you, I had a crush on you. Then I got to watch you with my brother and it was hard. I know that John is okay with me liking you. He was even okay with it while you were his girlfriend. The fact that he admitted that you hurt him… Part of me thinks that since he forgives you, I should too. The other part feels like a scumbag for liking my brother's girl, even if she wasn't really his. So I have no idea if we can be anything," Scott explained. "Okay," she answered. They both focused on their science work. An hour later, John appeared in the doorway. "Keys, bro." Scott fished the Toyota keys out of his pocket and tossed them to his brother. John caught them and turned to go, but suddenly turned back. "Can you get a ride?" he asked. "Don't worry about me, John." "I'm not leaving you stranded, Scott." "Fine, I'm done here anyway. Just drop me off at home and then go do whatever." "Why don't you come out with us?" "Yeah, so I can sit on the hood twiddling my thumbs waiting for you and your date to finish in the backseat of the car. You will always be the man, the myth, the legend, John, but not my scene, bro." "I'm worried about you," John said. "Why? I'm not the one they're laughing at." John flinched. "Right." He left Scott there.

"He's your brother so you're allowed to hurt him?" Kate asked. "More or less," Scott answered. He packed up his stuff and walked out. Kate was right behind him. "Are you two fighting?" "We don't fight." They were out of the building now and a football player was coming their way with his girlfriend. Scott knew there would be trouble. He recognized the girl from his calculus class and when she'd tried to copy off his test last week, he'd turned her in and she'd received an "F." Sure enough, the football player shoved Scott against the side wall of the building. "You'll pay for making my girl cry," he yelled. He pulled back and punched Scott, giving him a bloody nose. "Leave him alone," Kate intervened. The football player pushed her aside and she fell on her butt. "You shouldn't have done that," Scott said. His voice was low and dangerous. Then he hit the bigger guy in the stomach and kneed him in the face when he doubled over. The guy went down and Scott kicked him. Kate had gotten up by this time. "Scott," she tried. He kept kicking. Some distance away, Kate could see John and his friends in the parking lot. She ran as fast as she could. "It's Scott, he's fighting with Dave White!" John looked in the direction she pointed. He took off like a shot. Kate could barely keep up. By the time they got there, Scott was on top of Dave, and he'd clearly punched him a few times. "Stop, Scott. That's enough!" John grabbed Scott and pulled him off Dave. "I said that's _enough_! Calm down," John hissed. He held Scott's arms behind his back. Dave spit out two teeth. John looked down at him. "If you ever come near my brother again, I'll knock the rest of your teeth out." He pushed Scott in the direction of the Toyota. "Get in the car," John ordered. He got them out of there.

The drive home was mostly silent. Scott's heavy breathing was the only sound. When they pulled into the garage, John looked at his brother. "Come on, you're still bleeding." Scott followed John into their bathroom. It barely registered to Scott when his big brother boosted him up onto the counter. He sat there watching John grab the first aid kit, some peroxide, and a clean washcloth. John felt Scott's nose to be sure it wasn't broken. The bleeding had stopped and it seemed okay. He washed the blood from his brother's face. Next, John gently cleaned the scrapes on Scott's knuckles. Once he was done with the peroxide, he taped up the wounds. "All better," John said softly. "Is it?" Scott asked. "It wasn't that bad, Scottie. I know Dave. He's a jackass and there's no way he didn't provoke you. Self-centered as this sounds, the important thing is that you didn't go after _me_. When I pulled you away and held you with your back to my chest, I felt your whole body relax. Maybe your brain was still ready to take his head off, but your heart wasn't." Scott looked away. "That's not enough," he whispered.

There was so much pain in Scott's voice that it actually hurt John. "Scott, look at me." When Scott didn't, John took his brother gently by the chin. "You're a good man. You control the rage, it doesn't control you." "Tell that to Dave White." John gave Scott a hug. He held his brother tight enough to hurt. "It's okay, Scottie." "I'm sorry." "For what? You didn't hit me." "No, but I did take a shot at you in the science lab." "That stung a little bit," John granted. "I didn't mean it. We're just from different crowds," Scott said. John pulled back to look at him. "We don't have to be." "Right, John. If I cut my hair and wear your clothes, I'll be just like the rest of them." "No, Scott. You'd have to lose a hundred IQ points to be one of them. Being the smart, sensitive musician has its plus side." Scott snorted. "Okay, John, let's trade." "Well, here's your chance, little brother. By tomorrow the news of that fight will be all over school. You might even get suspended for it. If you want to be noticed, if you want to stop being invisible, here you go. We've got scissors, clippers, and mi closet is su closet. How about it, bro?" Scott slid off the counter and turned to face the mirror. He thought about what he saw and who he was. Changing your image in high school was hard and Scott knew he wouldn't get a better chance than this. Since the first day of his freshman year, he'd hoped John would open this door for him. It wasn't that he was dying to be a popular kid, just that a little acceptance went a long way. "Go get the scissors, John." While John went into their mother's bathroom for the shears, Scott got the clippers out. John came back and Scott stopped him for a second. "Thank you," he said quietly. John was surprised to feel a kiss on his cheek. "You're my brother, Scott. I'd do anything for you."

John was careful as he cut Scott's shaggy hair short. His little brother trusted him and he knew it. Their parents would be home before too long, but most likely would spend the evening at the country club. Sometimes John and Scott played tennis there or attended functions when their mother insisted. It could be pretty boring, so they usually tried to dodge. Scott held perfectly still, watching his big brother's movements in the mirror. It wasn't a big deal to him, but to John's point, it could be used to signal the end of his invisibility. Scott had to wonder if the social structure was so shaky and why anyone gave a damn. John was actually thinking the same thing. He snipped off the last few long strands and paused to look at Scott's face. It astonished him that he could see his brother every day and not really know his features. If he'd been asked, he figured all he would have been able to tell you was Scott's eye color and that there was a small, crescent scar behind Scott's ear. It was a strange familiarity he supposed. With a mental shrug, John picked up the clippers. Scott still did not move. His eyes would follow John, but he was almost preternaturally still. He remained that way until John had used the clippers and finished tidying up with the shears. Only once John gently removed the towel from around his shoulders, did Scott stir. He stood up and rubbed a hand over his new haircut. It was shorter than John's now. Like it or not, it made Scott look completely different. "You're nowhere near as good looking as me, but it will do." John smirked and reached out to rub Scott's head once.

That night, Scott and John crossed paths again when they brushed their teeth. Curfew was ten on school nights and it was just after eleven. "All right?" John asked. "Yes, I'm fine." There had been a lot of emotion between them that day and they both were exhausted of it. Still, John's instinct was to touch Scott one more time. He had the strangest impulse to return his brother's earlier kiss. When he and Scott both made for the door, John stepped in front of his brother. He used the moment to kiss the side of his baby brother's head as he pushed him back a little to get out first. Scott snorted and walked to the door of his bedroom. "Goodnight, John." "Scottie?" "Yeah, bro?" "I love you." For the second time in almost as many days, Scott didn't know what to do with his big brother. He'd shown a lot of himself to John today so he figured there was no harm in speaking openly. "I love you too, John. The man, the myth, the legend." Scott flashed an affectionate smile. "I'm nobody's hero, Scott." "After tomorrow, I may no longer be nobody." "You will always be somebody, Scott. If you don't like who you are, change it." "We'll see, John." The brothers came together for a quick handshake into man-hug and then finally went to bed. Tomorrow would be interesting at the very least.

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The following morning, Scott looked at himself in the mirror. His haircut was a marked improvement and he was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of John's Levi's. "Ready?" John asked. They had to leave now or they'd be late for school. "No, but that's okay. I never look forward to school." "You like learning," John protested. "I'm good at schoolwork, John. That doesn't mean I enjoy it," Scott answered. "Well, the guys on the basketball team would beat my ass for knowing this, but geek to chic, Scottie. You'll be fine." Scott drove them to school in the Toyota. The Jeep wouldn't be ready until that afternoon. As they approached the school, John rolled down the windows and chose an obnoxious rap song. It made Scott cringe, but he didn't object. This was not the time to retreat. He knew without asking that people were already talking about his fight with Dave. They parked and John stepped out of the passenger seat. Once all eyes were on him as usual, Scott slid from the driver's seat and shut the door with a bit of force. He and John met in front of the grill. "I don't suppose crawling back into bed is still an option," Scott muttered. "No worries, bro. I'm right here," John promised. "That is strangely comforting." John hooked an arm around his brother's shoulders and walked them over to a couple of his basketball buddies. He opened with a remark about last night's NBA game and let go of Scott, but stayed close. The bell rang soon after that and a lot of the kids watched both of the Tucker brothers walk into school.

It was one of the longer days Scott remembered. He fielded questions about both the fight and his new haircut with consistent responses of "I didn't start it," and "It was time for a change." He ate lunch at John's table in the cafeteria, thankful for the first that year that they had the same lunch period. Nobody spoke up about having a problem with it, but John was in full-on guard dog mode and most of them had seen Dave White. If the teachers heard the gossip about the fight, they ignored it. All though just about everyone talked about it, no one reported it, least of all Dave White. Scott saw him only once, outside calculus class where he was talking to his girlfriend. He passed by them without comment. Finally, the last bell rang and Scott wanted nothing more to get out of there. Instead, he retreated to the library to get some work done while John was at basketball practice. Kate was there, working on a history report. "Hi," she greeted. "Hi," Scott replied. "I like your haircut." "Thanks. Mind if I join you?" He sat down across from her without waiting for a response. Kate studied him for a moment. She knew what it was like to have someone popular take you from nobody to somebody practically overnight. For Kate, it started with a fight during volleyball in gym class. For Scott, she supposed it was a fight after school. All day long, Kate had heard various crazy versions of what had happened between Scott and Dave. Some even suggested it was John who got in the fight and Scott who broke it up, taking a punch from John in the process. That was how they explained John being nice to Scott today. She couldn't believe it had gotten so nuts so fast. "Long day?" she asked. It was mostly a rhetorical question, but she waited for Scott to answer.

"I'd be out of here by now if I hadn't promised John I'd take him to pick up the Jeep." "Some kids think he did that to your face," Kate observed. Scott had some bruising around his nose from Dave's punch. "Assholes. John and I don't fistfight," Scott dismissed. "Would you have hit Dave if he hadn't pushed me?" "No, probably not. I'm used to guys like him being douche-bags to me, but he crossed the line when he shoved you." "Even though I got in the middle of it?" "That doesn't give him the right to push you." "He had no right to punch you, either." "He was being a macho show-off for his girlfriend. That's status quo. When I saw you hit the ground I got angry. That can sometimes be a problem," Scott admitted. "You didn't go after John." "That's different. Being near John calms me down." "Why?" Kate asked. "I don't know. He irritates me more than anyone else in the world, but he knows me. John can cool me off just by being John." "You really do love him," Kate whispered. "I told you I did," Scott replied. "You think he can hold you up through all of this?" "I don't expect him to. John was my springboard. He left the door propped open behind him, but the rest is up to me." "If they decide to cross him?" Kate pressed. "It isn't about them. I did this for myself. John is just supporting me like a brother should. He made it clear that's more important to him." "So he isn't a total jackass." "No, but you knew that." Kate nodded and went back to work.

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When John was done with basketball practice, he made his way to the library. He knew that's where Scott would be, but was surprised to see Kate. "Hey, guys. You two a thing now?" he ventured. "Not that we've discussed. Not that we've discussed," Scott pointed out. It took John a second to figure out that the first "we" was Scott and Kate and the second "we" was Scott and John. "It's none of my business. Let's go, Scott." "Sure, John." Scott stuffed his books into his bag and shouldered the backpack. Kate did the same with her stuff and walked out with the Tucker brothers. Dave White and his girlfriend were making out on a bench halfway to the parking lot. They separated as the other three passed by. "You think this changes anything, Tucker? A haircut and a day in your big brother's shadow don't amount to dick, squat." "Don't forget I also kicked you ass, Davie." "You're a punk piss-ant who's barely worth more than one punch, but since you brought it up..." Dave swung for Scott, but John caught the punch with his left hand. "Walk away," he snarled. "Or what? Can't face me without your big brother, Scott?" "We've covered this. You need a ride, Kate?" Scott asked. "If it's no trouble," Kate accepted. "That's right, you chickenshits take your little skank and run," Dave smirked. He reached out and slapped Kate on the backside. The smirk vanished when Scott's hands closed around his throat. Dave made a choking sound and his girlfriend clawed Scott's arm, hollering for him to get off. "Scott, let go." John's voice was dead calm. Dave made another gasping sound. "Scott, come back. Hey, you need to release him. Enough," John pressed. Scott slowly loosened his grip and lowered his hands. "Don't. Touch. Kate." Scott turned and walked away.

By the time John and Kate caught up with Scott, he was in the passenger seat of the Toyota. The keys were in the ignition. John got into the driver's seat and started the car. He headed for Kate's house without a word. They drove for a while in silence. "Are you all right, Kate?" Scott asked. "I'm fine, Scott. Thanks for sticking up for me. It's okay to be angry. Especially with a jerk like Dave, but be careful, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you," Kate admitted. John pulled up to her house and parked. "See you tomorrow," he offered. "Yeah, tomorrow. Thanks for the ride." Kate hopped out of the car and disappeared inside her home. John gave Scott's knee a reassuring squeeze. He pulled away from Kate's house and headed for the mechanic. A block before they got to the garage, John pulled into the deserted parking lot of a chain store that had recently gone out of business. "Talk to me, Scott. The unmoving silence scares me way more than your temper," John leveled. He was more than stunned when Scott opened the glove box and pulled out a pack of Lucky Strikes and a red plastic Zippo. Scott tapped out a cigarette and lit it, then cracked the window to let the smoke out. "If you hadn't been there, John, I might not have let go. This is just going to keep getting worse until someone really gets hurt. Eventually, the monster will win." "I don't believe that, Scott. Not when I can still reach you. We both need to think about a long-term solution, but for now we stick together like glue. You do what you've always done to keep your temper in check and if you slip I'll be there to keep you from falling off the edge. As long as I can soothe you, we're good. You're not the monster, Scott."

"You're a good big brother, John. I didn't used to think so, but I'm sure of it now. Eventually, I'll end up taking something out on you and I don't want that. I appreciate the support, but I've got to handle this on my own. Come on, let's get your car and go home." "Are you good to drive?" "Sure, no sweat. I'll be right behind you." John didn't like it, but he started the car and moved over to the mechanic. He got things settled with the Jeep. "See you at home," he offered. Scott nodded. He let John pull out into traffic ahead of him. True to his word, Scott stayed behind John until they pulled into their garage. When they were outside the cars, John pulled Scott into a hug. "I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. Not yet, little brother. I'm right here and I won't let anything happen. Promise me you'll stay shoved up my side for the rest of the week." John could tell his being able to hug Scott had brought his little brother back to him some. The younger boy was considering his big brother's words. "I promise," Scott settled on. John cheered internally for the small victory. Keeping Scott close for a while would tell John the best way to help him. He kissed his little brother's forehead. "Atta boy, Scottie. I've got your back," John swore.

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**A/N2: There it is so far. Please leave a review if you liked it and want it continued. Thanks! -RA**


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